


5 Lives That John Sheppard Never Lived

by LadyYueh



Series: Unlived Lives [3]
Category: Cardcaptor Sakura, Dark Angel, Hellsing, Smallville, Stargate Atlantis, Tenkuu no Escaflowne | The Vision of Escaflowne
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-14
Updated: 2012-01-14
Packaged: 2017-10-29 12:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/319890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyYueh/pseuds/LadyYueh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Sheppard by any other name is still emotionally constipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Magical Girl, John Sheppard

**Author's Note:**

> Next verse, same as the first. Fusions for SGA can get /pretty/ addicting.

“It’s pink,” John said flatly as he scrutinized the _pink_ baton thing that he held gingerly with as few fingers as he could manage lest he be contaminated by the revolting color.

“Janus thought you would be a girl,” the talking, winged plush toy chuckled nervously.

John glared at the staff, smacked his guardian for the foolishly voiced information, and made a decision. “I’m going to paint it black.”

***

“Oh my god! You’re absolutely pathetic! Don’t you know anything? Shouldn’t that winged rodent be good for something? And even without his dubious advice, shouldn’t you be smart enough to apply basic reasoning skills to find a solution?

“I should have known something was hinky,” John observed. “The transfer students always have secret identities in the comics. So, who are you? Really?”

McKay’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “Hinky?” he repeated with disbelief as he rubbed his forehead.

“We have not lied, John. I am still Teyla of the Emmagen clan. This is Ronon, our guardian.” She motioned politely to the hulking teen who sheathed his impressive sword.

“Cool sword,” John commented.

Ronon grinned.

Teyla continued, “And Rodney is--”

“I am the most talented and brilliant magician from my family since Janus himself,” Rodney interrupted arrogantly. “What I want to know is what the hell you’re doing. You’re not trained or educated properly and yet you’re playing at being Janus’ heir! Stupid at best and suicidal at worst. Why don’t you hand over the staff and you can run along and leave things to the professionals?” Rodney’s tone was condescending and while John had thought the magic thing was kind of cool it was also a hassle and a big responsibility he could have done without but if there was something that took a higher priority than his fear of responsibility it was his obstinate refusal to take orders.

“No way!” he answered hotly.

McKay’s nose flared, his eyes slanted into an intense and focused glare. “This is war,” he declared as he flounced away in his elaborate green robes.

“Bring it on, McKay!” John called out.

“Would you like to come for tea tomorrow? And then perhaps we might spar?” Teyla asked calmly as if the heated altercation had not occurred.

John blinked, confused for a moment, before grinning. “Sure!”


	2. Eating My Wings To Make Me Tame

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t give Teyla the order to dispose of your new little pet.”

“If that’s what you want, I can’t stop you,” John drawled in an unconcerned manner.

That was a lie and they both knew it.

“Don’t play games with me, John,” Rodney warned.

John’s eloquent answer was an arched eyebrow and a sardonic twist of his lips.

“Why?” Rodney broke the silence. “Why her and why now?”

“Aww, don’t be jealous, Rodney. You know you’re still my favorite,” John purred teasingly.

John grinned toothily at Rodney’s glare. It made him miss the days when Rodney blushed at that tone. The rush of sweet, hot, virgin blood rising in a vibrant flush, the pounding thump of a racing heart, the overpowering scent of young, male arousal. Blood and sex, a combination that made his mouth water.

“Don’t make me shoot you,” Rodney warned. “I hate wasting bullets.”

Unconcerned, John sprawled and continued to gaze at Rodney from under lowered lashes. “She said yes. And she’s such a pretty little thing. And a virgin. Do you know how hard it is to find a pretty virgin past sixteen?”

Rodney sneered. “Just because she said yes? You’re absolutely pathetic. I suppose I should be glad that Chaya and Teer refused.”

Rodney’s stare was unyielding and forceful. “I won’t have you turning the basement into your own little den of iniquity. You will train Jennifer to be an asset to this organization or I’ll have Teyla put her down. Is that understood?” Rodney’s authoritative aura gave him such a rush.

“Yes, Master,” John answered with his usual insolent smirk.

Rodney, as usual, ignored his impudence. “It’s enough to make me wish I’d walked away with Jeannie,” Rodney murmured in an unusual moment of melancholy.

“You still could,” John’s voice was sensuous, daring him into temptation.

A temptation he refused to fall into.

Then, the moment of weakness was gone as if it had never occurred and Sir Meredith Rodney McKay was once again in full control of himself. “And then what? Burden Jeannie with you and your little games? Or perhaps you’d prefer to _play_ with my six year old niece. Forget it. You’re stuck with me.”

 _I like it that way._ John didn’t say.


	3. Before the Legend

“Who are you?” John asked as he gasped for air.

The gangling teen’s bright, blue eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted in annoyance. “I think that the proper response to saving your life is ‘thank you’. Considering that you almost ran me over, some groveling wouldn’t be amiss either.”

John stared with no little confusion. “But I, I hit you.”

The boy snorted. “The lack of oxygen must have killed brain cells that you desperately needed. You didn’t hit me, you moron. I’d be dead if you had.” Despite being waterlogged and half-drowned, John still picked up something that sounded false in the scathing outburst.

The sounds of approaching sirens sounded and it seemed as if they finally kicked John’s painfully indoctrinated manners into gear. He smiled his usual charming Sheppard smile. “Thanks for saving my life.”

“Yeah, well thanks for endangering mine with your reckless driving,” his savior spat out as medical personnel climbed down the embankment.

John flinched.


	4. Flight of the Dragon

The task was not meant to be his. If only Dave had lived and fulfilled his duty to their country. John wasn’t cut out to be king, though he wouldn’t deny that he’d envied his brother the honor of raising Atlantis from its slumber.

***

“I have proven myself and slain the dragon,” John declared to his assembled people as he lifted the glittering heart stone--the ZPM, source of Atlantis' power--above his head.

“You?” he heard the annoying boy question with disbelief. “I helped too,” he muttered his complaint.

 _By drawing its attention with your high-pitching shrieks._ John had to bite his lip to keep from voicing the thought aloud.

***

John could not help but grin smugly at the delight and disbelief that played across Rodney’s face.

“But, but, _how_?” Rodney questioned with bafflement. “You people still fight with _swords_. This is, this is like monkeys with F-16s! You didn’t build this,” he asserted with complete certainty.

John frowned. For all of the younger boy’s ignorance in dealing with people he could be surprisingly perceptive in other ways. “No,” he spoke the word as if it were dragged from him. “Atlantis is the work of the Ancients.”

***

He hadn’t even thought about it. As soon as he had realized that Rodney had fallen, his body had flung itself after him. All of the promises he’d made, the warnings he’d heeded for sixteen years had been ignored as he’d unfurled the markers of his mother’s legacy to save Rodney.

Rodney trembled in his arms long after their feet returned to solid ground. Dazed blue eyes absent of any disgust stared up at him. “You have wings,” he whispered with childlike awe.

John smiled. “Yeah.”


	5. John Has Cat DNA

“Why do you stay?” John asked, lazy and sated from too much food.

“How much wine did you have?” Rodney asked with deliberate obtuseness. “I live here remember?”

The effort it took to glare wasn’t worth it, John decided. “You’re Canadian. Why didn’t you go back home after it all went to hell?”

Rodney rubbed at the neck of his beer bottle absentmindedly. “And if I said that it was because with enough money I could bribe anyone to look away and let me conduct illegal, dangerous and highly unethical experiments?”

“I’d say you’re full of it,” John answered calmly. “You’re constantly harping about civil liberties and freedom of speech. You’re like that guy, from that movie.”

“Oh, that narrows it down,” Rodney commented.

“He was rich and he made those gadgets, don’t know about the rubber suit or the pointy ears though.”

“Are you comparing me to Batman?” Rodney asked with no little horror.

John wrinkled his nose at the name and shrugged. “No superpowers, had an alter-ego, lots of money, and a butler. He fought against the corruption of his city, didn’t he?”

Rodney chuckled. “And now you’re comparing Ronon to Alfred? Don’t let him hear you say that. Does that make you Catwoman?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth Rodney blushed.

“Don’t think I saw that one,” John lied perfectly.

“Oh,” Rodney exhaled with discernable relief. “She was a thief, but she wasn’t really a villain just sort of morally ambiguous. She helped Batman out a time or two.”

John opened his mouth to tease Rodney and maybe get him to slip something more about the Catwoman/Batman relationship and how it applied to their own but Rodney--the quick bastard--beat him to it with a clever change of subject. “Anyway, you can take the leftovers home, you need it with your revved up metabolism, and I got some new info on Chimera, here.” Rodney thrust a thin folder into John’s hands.

“Financial data?” John stated, unimpressed as he flipped through the meager amount of information.

“What? They’ve had years to cover up and encrypt the project. Your siblings are too smart to show up on anyone’s radar and the chance to recapture one of you is the only thing that will get Chimera out from behind their walls. You know that,” Rodney chastised.

“You’re the one who said you could find anyone and uncover anything,” John reminded him.

“Genius takes time,” Rodney asserted with unfeigned arrogance.

John shook his head with fond exasperation.

“John?” Rodney called softly.

John tilted his head in inquiry.

“Why don’t you leave? With your skills you could disappear.”

John shrugged. “This city, it’s the only home I’ve ever known. And if I leave I might never see any of my brothers and sisters again.”


End file.
